Department of Emergency Management Programs

County Of Sonoma › Administrative Support & Fiscal Services › Emergency Management › Programs › Peterka Award

Louis "Pete" Peterka Emergency Management Award

Department of Emergency Management Sonoma County 750

The Department of Emergency Management annually honors an individual, group, or program for their outstanding commitment to emergency management by presenting the Louis “Pete” Peterka Award at the December meeting of the Emergency Coordinators Forum.

The award is named after the grandfather of emergency management in Sonoma County, Pete Peterka. He led what was then known as the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services from 1977 to 1985. Pete is a legend in the field of emergency management and recognized as one of the pioneers instrumental in turning moribund local civil defense programs into functional, multi-hazard plans and response.

The efforts of all these individuals have significantly advanced emergency management in the Sonoma Operational Area.

Return to Emergency Coordinators Forum

For their outstanding commitment to emergency management in the Sonoma County Operational Area:

2025

Maricarmen Reyes

2025-Peterka-Award Maricarmen Reyes

The Department of Emergency Management and Sonoma County Operational Area recognize Maricarmen Reyes as the 2025 Louis “Pete” Peterka recipient.

Maricarmen Reyes has become one of the most trusted and passionate voices for emergency preparedness and resilience in Sonoma County, including the Springs and beyond. Her work bridges language, culture, and community, ensuring that every community member, especially those in the Spanish-speaking and underserved areas of the county, has access to critical emergency information and the tools to act when disaster strikes.

Her dedication to emergency management took root after the devastating 2017 wildfires. That experience made her acutely aware of the needs of unincorporated and linguistically isolated communities in Sonoma County. She saw first-hand how language barriers and limited access to information could endanger lives, and she committed herself to changing that. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to make preparedness inclusive, accessible, and community driven.

As the Outreach and Event Coordinator at Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, Maricarmen has been instrumental in organizing bilingual emergency preparedness events that directly engage residents where they live. She has led preparedness fairs, collaborated with the Department of Emergency Management on a community evacuation drill, and instituted the annual April ShakeOut in Sonoma Springs.

Her leadership extends beyond events. Recognizing that true preparedness begins at the neighborhood level, Maricarmen spearheaded the creation of a Map Your Neighborhood group in the Springs area and continues to work to find ways to engage the local community. Through this initiative and others, she has brought neighbors together to identify local resources, plan for disasters, and build mutual support networks that can save lives during emergencies. Maricarmen also joined the Sonoma Springs Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) preparedness committee and currently serves and the chair of the MAC.

Maricarmen has also played an essential role in regional preparedness planning. For the past two years, she has been a key participant in the Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative’s (BAUASI) Local Roadmaps to Resilience Project, where she worked with local and county partners to identify key community risks, develop mitigation strategies, and help move priority projects toward implementation. Her practical understanding of community needs has been vital in ensuring that resilience planning reflects the lived experiences of those most affected.

Training and education are central to her mission. As one of the first graduates of Sonoma County’s Spanish-speaking SoCo Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. Maricarmen quickly became one of its most dedicated ambassadors. She now serves as a guest instructor for both English and Spanish CERT trainings.

Her commitment to accessibility has also driven her outreach efforts. Maricarmen has worked directly with community members who lack digital access or English proficiency, helping them sign up for emergency alerts, navigate online preparedness tools, and connect with local resources. Her work ensures that no community member is left behind when it comes to safety and preparedness.

In recognition of her remarkable work, which embodies the spirit of collaboration, inclusion, and community service, Maricarmen Reyes was awarded the Louis “Pete” Peterka Award for Emergency Management for 2025.

2024

Adam Peacock: Sonoma FBO/Feathervine

Honored for his exceptional contributions to Sonoma County’s preparedness and capacity to respond. Following the devastating 2017 fires, Adam led Rebuilding Our Community (ROC) in Sonoma County, laying a strong foundation for recovery efforts. Since then, he has sought out and fostered innovative collaborations with faith-based leaders to enhance disaster response and preparedness.

As part of the Sonoma County Unified Community Preparedness and Long-Term Disaster Recovery Project, Adam has been a leader in faith based organization (FBO) engagement; facilitating district-wide meetings, organizing COOP (Continuity of Operations Plan) training, and building a team to support the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during crises. His collaborative efforts include development of a resource list to streamline assistance between the EOC and FBOs, aimed at limiting service overlaps or gaps.

Adam has collaborated with the Department of Emergency Management, city officials, and law enforcement to secure supplies and offer trainings to FBOs. His deep ties within the FBO community have greatly strengthened this vital network of emergency partners.

Through Adam’s leadership and dedication, Sonoma County is safer and better prepared for disasters, with a coordinated network ready to support those in need. His outstanding efforts truly exemplify the spirit of the Pete Peterka Award.

2023

Sea Ranch

Sea Ranch is unique in Sonoma County. Few communities of this size are as isolated as they are, and the potential for being isolated for a prolonged period of time is high. To be ready for this, the community organized 131 volunteers and established two emergency storage units for shelter and medicine. The organization has established procedures to rapidly assess damage to their community and a process for reacting as a community to disasters. Their unique geography has inspired this organization to look inward and develop people, policies and procedures to keep this community safe.

Resilient Cloverdale

In January 2020, the civic leadership of Cloverdale launched the Resilient Cloverdale Initiative to guide the City's resilience investments in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery as a result of lessons learned from the 2019 Kincade Fire. Planning committees composed of local, county, state, agencies, organizations, civic networks, and individuals were tasked with crafting a comprehensive strategy on how to increase the capacity of local stakeholder organizations to work together as well as address important equity and access goals moving forward. The primary mission was to convert the lessons learned from the Kincaid Fire into goals and objectives that would be memorialized in a Resilience Action Plan (RAP). Led by both Executive and Community Steering Committees, the process was designed to be as inclusive and transparent as possible to ensure the highest level of buy-in on the plan's goals and objectives and their implementation. The Resilient Cloverdale Initiative is managed by a cohort of leads from various stakeholder groups and is facilitated by a program manager (Becky Ennis). The cohort manages the resilience action plan's development via various working groups' activities. Since 2020, the Resilient Cloverdale Community, consisting of nonprofits, civic networks, faith-based organizations, government agencies, small businesses, and volunteers, has worked tirelessly to implement a disaster resilience strategy that advances the readiness and response capacity of the community at large.

Resilient Cloverdale is a model organization for other communities to emulate to better prepare for disaster resiliency.

2022

Michael "Mike" Humphrey, Chair, Access and Functional Needs Subcommittee

Michael "Mike" Humphrey, Chair, Access and Functional Needs Subcommittee

Following the 2017 wildfires the County undertook a major overhaul of the emergency management structure and took a special interest in focusing on the needs for a robust Access and Functional Needs component of the Emergency Operations Center, which required a strong and capable leader able to keep the emergency community focused on AFN issues. Michael "Mike" Humphrey eagerly took up that role and in that capacity chaired he AFN Subcommittee for four years, revitalizing it and maintaining it as an active forum for raising AFN issues. Mike functioned in the Emergency Operations Center during multiple disasters from the Kincade Fire forward, providing an important voice to the underserved of the community and helped developed key techniques for caring for AFN populations, leveraging his full-time role as the County In Home Support Services Coordinator. Mike continued in his role diligently until health issues forced him to step down prior to his passing in 2022. Mike left a firm impression on all who served with him and he left the emergency management field better than he found it thanks to his passion and his drive.

2021

COPE Northern Sonoma County (Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies)

COPE has developed into a powerhouse grass roots organization. It has grown from a handful of interested people to more than 40 COPE communities in Northern Sonoma County (approximately 20,000+ community members participating). The organization works to develop emergency preparedness and mitigation in their neighborhoods, recognizing the need for neighbors to be networked and knowledgeable to remain safe in a disaster. The organization is built on the idea of neighbor helping neighbor.

2020

Sergeant Greg Stachyn, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff's badge Sergeant Greg Stachyn received a Pete Peterka Award for his work in developing a static evacuation map for the county. This map was rolled out, while in draft form, during the LNU Complex Fire.

The City of Petaluma

Petaluma logo The City of Petaluma was also awarded a Pete Peterka Award for their commitment to standing up shelters during fires in Sonoma County. They have sheltered thousands of residents from throughout the county in the last few years.

2019

City of Sonoma

City of Sonoma received the Pete Peterka Award, which was accepted by Sonoma City Manager Cathy Capriola and Jim Comisky, Battalion Chief for Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue authority, Also pictured, Jeff DuVall, Deputy Director Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management.

2018

Sonoma County Permit & Resources Management – Permit Sonoma

2017

National Weather Service, Monterey Office

2016

Dennis Smiley, Detective Sergeant, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office

2015

Becoming Independent serving Sonoma, Napa and Solano Counties

2014

Sonoma County General Services Department, Gene Clark, Ed Buonoccorsi, David Worthington, Fleet Operations

2013

Redwood Empire Schools Insurance Group, Loss Prevention Division, Erin Tarkanian, Christine Dektor, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Clint Shubel, Shawn Murphy, Rod McMasters, Jesse Hanshew, Jennifer Abrao, Charity Koch, Sonoma County Office of Education, Lynn Garric

2013 Peterka Award